By Your Side
by SquirmberryJuice
Summary: Sequel to "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice".  Everything is perfect for Tarrant and Alice: They are about to have a baby and Alice can see her family.  But it all goes wrong wrong when Victoria gets lost in the worst place to get lost: the Tulgey Wood.
1. Chapter 1

**Why, hello, my dearest and loveliest readers! (See what I did there? Lame, right?) So this is the sequel to my first ever FanFic, "To My Dearest and Loveliest Alice". Like I said at the end of the epilogue, I would make a sequel if someone asked, so this is dedicated to my awesome reviewers, especially the ones who asked for this… **

**This picks up pretty much exactly where "To My Dearest…" left off.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AIW! If I did, that would be awesome. But sadly, I have an awesome-less life as an obsessed fan.**

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><p>"Alice, I never did ask you. How did you arrive here so quickly, without being noticed?" Helen Kingsley asked her daughter, Alice. Alice and her husband, Tarrant Hightopp, had visited with Alice's family in London briefly. They had just found out where Alice and her husband lived, and what a truly magical place it was. The Hightopps lived in Wonderland, or Underland, as it was properly called.<p>

"We traveled by looking glass, of course! It's not as easy as drinking Jabberwocky blood, but it has just as much of a jolt as the rabbit hole, although it's much safer then falling all that way," Tarrant answered his mother-in-law.

"Well if traveling by… looking glass… isn't the most pleasant experience, why not just use… jab… jabber… blood?" Helen recovered.

"_Jabberwocky_ blood is very rare, and we only have a limited supply. Besides, it only works for one person at a time, and I am technically two people right now," Alice answered, indicating her six month pregnant belly.

"Ah," her mother said, looking as though she didn't really understand.

"Listen Mother, we really do have to go. Time works differently between our worlds, remember? We could go back and it could be a second after we left, or a year."

"Time is tricky. He and I got into a quarrel many years ago, and he has never forgiven me. Alice, on the other hand, he quite likes. So I'm not sure about what he thinks of us, now that we are married, and-"

"Tarrant."

"Sorry, Love."

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><p>A few hours later, Alice and Tarrant were back in their home in Witzend, cuddled up together on their beaten-up couch. Alice was snuggled up against Tarrant's side, her right arm around his neck and the left around his waist. Tarrant had one hand behind her back and the other was rubbing her swollen stomach.<p>

"Thank you for taking me to see my family, Tarrant," she murmured into his shoulder.

"You deserve to see your family, Cricket. You should never be kept away from them," he answered, sadness creeping into his voice. His entire family had been killed by the Jabberwocky while the Red Queen was still in power.

Alice sensed Tarrant becoming upset, so she quickly changed the subject. "So why am I so tired?"

"Well, my best guess is that since sleepiness is a side effect of inexperienced looking glass travel and the fact that you are six months pregnant have combined to make a very sleepy Alice."

"Makes sense to me," yawned Alice.

"Go to sleep, My Alice," he said softly.

"Alright…"

She closed her eyes and fell asleep. He would have taken her upstairs and tucked her into bed right away, but living with his soul mate for five years had made him notice the little things about her, such as that he had to wait about twenty minutes before he moved her, or she would wake. In about twenty minutes, her breathing would become deeper, she would stop kicking around a bit in her sleep, and her eyes would start moving beneath her eyelids. Only then could he carry her to their bed without her waking up.

His wife (Oh, how he loved being able to call her that. Even after five years, he never lost the thrill of calling Alice _his_ Alice) was so beautiful. She was perfect in every way and he still sometimes wondered how a perfect Alice like her could ever love an old hatter like him. He wondered how she could bear to have his rough, mercury-stained hands touch her. On their wedding night, he had been afraid to remove his shirt because he feared that she would be frightened by him and run away.

The worst part about these thoughts was that every Bad Voice in his head was constantly screaming these things at him. His only Good Voice was Alice, and how could he believe her when she simply might be saying that she loved him out of pity. His Cricket was very courteous of other people's emotions.

But if Alice didn't love him, then she would have never allowed his baby to grow in her belly. She wouldn't allow him to have Alice kisses so often (She had told him that he could have as many Alice kisses as he wanted!) or let him rub her belly where the baby had kicked her or whisper to the baby to ask it to stop hurting its Ma. No, he was certain that she wouldn't allow him to do these things if she didn't love him.

Just then, her breathing got deeper and her lets stopped moving, so he took her up in his arms and started to walk toward their bedroom.

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><p>The next morning, Alice woke up in Tarrant's arms. She shifted gently, so that she was facing him. She loved him so much, so unconditionally. She would do anything for him. She knew that he sometimes doubted her love for him, but she didn't have the slightest idea why.<p>

She did everything she could to make him happy. This wasn't a chore, but a pleasant activity for Alice. she tried to be a good wife and help as much as possible, but she doubted that she was doing a very good job, seeing as she wasn't very good at cooking or cleaning. Plus, Tarrant would barely let her stand up because of the baby. He wanted to protect her, but she wanted to help.

She found it sweet that he was so protective of her. She also found it the smallest bit irritating sometimes. Her memory flashed back to about a week ago when Tarrant had insisted on carrying her outside to the tea table so she wouldn't have to bend down do put on her shoes.

But still, she loved him with all of her heart. She wouldn't be able to live without him. She shifted as gently as she could again, but this time, it woke him.

Tarrant opened his eyes slowly. "Good morning, Cricket," he murmured.

"Good morning," she whispered back, kissing him gently on the lips.

Tarrant sat up in bed, and brought Alice onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her swollen belly.

"Do you think we will be able to go back? To London, I mean." Alice asked.

"If you want to," Tarrant answered. Then he remembered something that he had meant to ask Alice, but had forgotten when she fell asleep.

"Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Why did your sister have a young child, but was living with your mother? I thought you told me that she had a husband."

Alice's expression turned dark. "She does," she said in a low voice. "His name is Lowell. He's the worse man you could ever think of. The day I fell down when I was nineteen, I caught him kissing another woman."

Tarrant frowned. "Why would he do that? Your sister seemed very nice."

"She is, but he's a pig! He's just awful. Margret lives with my mother now because he's always away, with other women, I suspect. She didn't want to have just her and Victoria there alone."

Tarrant thought that this was the worst thing in both worlds. He would never leave Alice's side, especially when she had his child. He would sooner die. So why would this Lowell man leave Margret? She had seemed very nice, just like Alice, but more… proper. He couldn't understand what kind of man would do that.

If he ever met this Lowell, he would make sure that he never left Margret's side again.

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><p><strong>Do you see that little button over there? Yeah, that one that says "review" on it. Why don't you click it? It'll be fun!<strong>

**Remember to R&R.**

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey… I have no excuse for how late this is… so I'm sorry! This was going to be two chapters, but then I decided, "So what if this one's almost 2,000 words?"**

**This chapter kind of jumps forward a week or two, so Alice and Tarrant have already gone Topside again a few more times.**

**Disclaimer: Just a nerdy fan, here! No possession of AIW involved!**

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><p>"I'll never understand how you can do that," said Alice, watching Tarrant balance at least ten full teacups in each hand.<p>

"Practice, Cricket, its all practice," he responded.

Just then, Alice remembered something. They had promised to show Alice's family their home in Witzend soon. Who knew how "soon" it was after their last visit about a week ago?

"Tarrant?" she asked.

"Yes, Love?"

"How long do you think it's been up Topside since our last visit?"

Tarrant set the cups on the tea table (not spilling a drop) and walked over to where his wife was standing in the doorway of the windmill. He put his arms around her from behind, rubbing her rounded belly.

"I don't know," he said after a while.

"Well can we go? I want to see my family before the baby is born. We won't be able to see them all that often after then. Plus, Mother wanted to see Witzend."

"Of course, Bonnet. When do you want to go?" Tarrant asked.

"Today?" Alice asked hopefully.

Tarrant smiled. He liked Alice's family, and ever since they had told them who he was and where he was from, they had taken a great interest in Underland. So much, in fact, that Alice's mother (she insisted on him calling her 'Helen') had asked to see where they lived and meet all their friends. Alice had wholeheartedly agreed. It had been a week in Underland Time since then, but there was no way of telling how much time had passed Topside.

"Yes, I think that can be arranged."

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><p>And so, after tea, Alice and Tarrant traveled through the looking glass in their living room. Alice imagined her old bedroom, where she knew there was a full length looking glass.<p>

When they stepped out of the glass, they saw a maid cleaning the dust off of Alice's desk. When the maid turned around at the sound of footsteps, her eyes widened.

"Miss Kingsley! How… how did you get here?" The maid, Anne, was dumbstruck. Only Alice's mother, sister, and niece knew that Alice had already visited them a few times.

"I've told you before. You can just call me Alice."

Anne looked at Alice, then at Tarrant, then back at Alice again. They could see that she was struggling not to stare at Alice's extended belly, as well.

"Who… what… where…" Anne stuttered.

"It's okay, Anne. Ask any questions you want. Don't worry about being proper or not."

"B-but, miss, it isn't my place to-"

"Are you curious or not?" Alice asked gently, rubbing her belly.

Anne looked to be fighting with her two personalities, one curious and the other proper. Unfortunately, the proper side won. "Would you like to see Mrs. Kingsley, miss?"

Alice sighed. "Yes, and fetch my sister and niece if they're here."

Anne scurried out of the door and down the hallway. "I had no idea that proper was so deeply ingrained here," Tarrant whispered.

"I know. It's a shame, really," Alice replied. They walked to the door of the room and down the stairs, Tarrant's arm around Alice's waist.

Her mother was in the living room, reading a book. When Alice and Tarrant answered, she looked up. "Hello, Alice, Tarrant."

"Hello, Mother. How long has it been since our last visit?"

"A bit over two weeks."

Just then, Margret walked into the room, Victoria on her hip, clutching the stuffed cat that Tarrant had made her.

"Alice," Margret laughed, "what did you and Tarrant do to Anne? She looked downright frightened when she came to tell me that you were here."

"She was cleaning my room when Tarrant and I stepped through the looking glass. When she turned and saw us there, it must have looked very strange to her. After all, it really isn't every day that a woman who has been missing for two years shows up in her old bedroom, wearing unusual clothes, in the arms of a man who doesn't exactly have the most normal appearance in the world," (Tarrant laughed)," and heavily pregnant."

"Auntie Alice, when are you going to have your baby?" asked a small voice.

"Soon, Victoria," Alice answered with a smile. Ever since Victoria had discovered that Alice didn't usually have an extremely large stomach, she had questioned why. Alice had told her that she was going to have a baby soon, and every time that Victoria saw Alice, it was the first thing she said. It was very sweet.

"Do you like your cat?" Tarrant asked Victoria, indicating the stuffed gray and blue cat in Victoria's arms. It was modeled after Chessur, because he was one of Victoria's favorite people that Alice had told her stories about.

"Yes!" she answered enthusiastically, hugging the toy closer to her.

Alice turned to her mother. "Do you still want to see Underland?"

"Of course I do, Alice! I'm not going to live my life not knowing where my own daughter lives."

"May I come, too?" Margret asked.

"Me too, me too!" Victoria exclaimed.

Alice laughed. "Of course! You can all come. I'm sure that everyone there is just as eager to meet you as you are them."

"I'm sure that you won't get hit in the head _too_ much," Tarrant added.

"Hit in the head?" Margret questioned.

"Just duck whenever you enter a room or the clearing with the tea table and you'll be fine," Alice said quickly.

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><p>They all stood in front of the looking glass in Alice's old bedroom. Margret and Helen were looking nervous and Victoria looked as if she would jump out of her shoes with excitement.<p>

"Alright. Now just walk through it as if it was nothing but air, and make sure that you are all holding hands. We don't want anyone getting lost," Alice instructed.

Alice would go first, and then Margret, Victoria, Helen, and Tarrant brought up the back.

"Now, whatever you do, don't let go of each other's hands!" Alice said as she stepped through the glass. They all followed.

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><p>They emerged in Alice and Tarrant's living room. It was nothing out of the ordinary, for Underland standards. The walls were a purple that somehow managed to be light and dark at the same time. There were a few pieces of furniture, and one of the walls was lined with bookshelves. Completely taking up another wall was a looking glass, which they had come out of. The other walls were lined with doors, leading to almost every other room on the first floor.<p>

"This is the living room," Alice said.

She led them around the house, pointing out many strange things as she went as if they were nothing special, which they weren't, to her, having lived here for over five years.

Finally, they went outside. Their house was located in the middle of Witzend, the small town where Tarrant's family had once lived. They had rebuilt much of it, and planned on repopulating the small town.

Tarrant and Alice lead her family into the woods, toward the clearing where the tea table and the windmill were.

As they got closer, the sound of giggling got louder and louder, until Margret asked, "What is that noise?"

"Oh, it's just Mally and Thackery, they must be at the table," Alice answered.

When they stepped into the clearing, they (as usual) were greeted by a mad-sounding "You're late for tea!" and a utensil thrown at their heads. Alice and Tarrant, on reflex, immediately ducked, while the fork almost hit Margret in the head.

"Oh my- What was that?" she shouted.

"Thackery! Please do not throw silverware at my family," Alice scolded him.

"Family?" the dormouse and hare said at the same time, looking up.

"Alice! Is this ya family?" Mally asked, pointing to the group of three standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Yes," answered Alice, walking with Tarrant to the head of the table where he sat in his armchair and she sat on his right side. "Please, sit," she said to her family.

Margret and Helen were hesitant, but Victoria skipped right up to the head of the table and sat on the other side of Alice.

"I'm Victoria," she stated.

"My niece," Alice explained. "And over there is my mother and sister. Mother, Margret, Victoria, this is Mally the Dormouse and Thackery the March Hare."

"Hello!" Victoria said to them.

"H… hello," stuttered Margret and Helen. They didn't know what to make of the scene. Alice had told them about the talking animals in Underland, and they had believed it, but they hadn't thought they would actually see it.

"Auntie Alice told me about you. She said that you saved her from a bandy… a bandy…" Victoria said to Mally.

"She did? Ya tol' 'er bout me, Alice?" Mally asked proudly.

"Of course I did! You saved me from the Bandersnatch."

"And Auntie Alice told me about you too, she said that you were a very good cook," Victoria said to Thackery.

"Aye," Thackery said, twitching a bit.

"If you want to see Mamoreal, we will have to get going now. You don't want to be stuck in the Tulgey Wood at night," Tarrant said.

And so, they said goodbye to Thackery and Mally, and set off to the White Castle. Alice and Tarrant carried a pot full of Earl Grey tea and two cups. Margret and Helen had opted to leave their tea at the table.

As they walked in the direction of Mamoreal, Tarrant put his free arm around Alice and rubbed her belly. They baby was kicking extremely hard lately, probably because Alice was less than a month from her due date.

The baby would be coming any time now, and Tarrant was extremely nervous. He had never been a father before. He had no younger siblings, so the only younger children he had ever known were his cousins. He was also getting more and more protective of Alice. What if she ran away from him, with their child, because she finally came to her senses and realized that he was disgusting and mad.

His eyes must have changed color, because Alice put her hand over his where it lay on her belly and whispered, "I love you. So, so much."

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><p><strong>D'awww… Sweet ending (to this chapter)… yay! Don't forget to R&amp;R!<strong>

**~SquimberryJuice**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh. My. Bread-and-butterflies. I am so sorry! This was supposed to be up a week after the last chapter, maximum. I failed! Now I feel super duper bad and… I can't even find words for how bad I feel! But anyway… I'll stop talking so you can just read chapter 3…**

**Disclaimer: Why would you even think that I own AIW? The only ownership going on here is this piece of Fanfiction and any characters that I made up.**

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><p>"Alice, how long have we been walking?" Alice's mother asked her.<p>

"Well, it feels as though we have been walking for hours, but it still is daytime. It appears that Time is being kind to us and letting us go slowly to Mamoreal without us being late," Alice answered with a smile.

"Can we stop walking for a few minutes, Auntie Alice? My feet hurt," Victoria asked.

Tarrant and Alice smiled. "I don't see why not," they told her.

So, they picked out a nice Tumtum Tree and sat down (a task that wasn't easy for Alice with an eight-month pregnant belly). Not soon after, Victoria had discovered bread-and-butterflies. They all laughed as she ran around, trying to catch one. It ended with her hands being covered in yellow butter and Margret telling her not to lick her fingers.

When they were ready to leave again, Tarrant helped Alice to her feet and once again put his arm around her waist. The tea that they had brought was long gone, and Tarrant had stowed the cups and pot in a bush, saying that you never know when you might need a teapot.

After they walked a bit more, they finally reached the gated of Mamoreal. Margret and Helen's mouths dropped at the pearl gates, the white and pink flowered trees, and the grand marble castle. Victoria, being a curious little girl, walked straight up to the chessman knight that was standing at the gate and knocked on the leg of his armor, asking if anyone was home.

They all laughed at this, including the knight. "What is your name, little girl?" he asked her.

"I'm Victoria, and my Auntie Alice and Uncle Tarrant brought me here to see the big white castle!"

He knight looked up and saw Alice and Tarrant. "Champion Alice, Lord Tarrant, welcome."

"Hello," Alice responded kindly. "I want to see Marana; do you know where she is?"

"Her majesty is probably in her study," the guard responded, pulling the gates open.

"Thank you," Alice said as they walked through the gate.

Alice and Tarrant led Alice's family up the garden path, to the grand doors leading into the castle.

They were greeted by a fish butler when they walked in.

"Champion Alice, Lord Tarrant, I presume that you're looking for Her Majesty?"

"Yes, if you could tell us where she is, that would be great," Alice responded.

"Of course."

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><p>When they reached the doors of Mirana's study, the fish butler opened the door and started to announce that they were there, but Mirana saw them first. She jumped up from her chair and glided over to Alice, hugging her around her swollen belly.<p>

"Alice, I have not seen you in nearly a month! Look at how your baby has grown," Mirana said kindly.

"Thank you. Let me introduce you to my family," Alice said excitedly. "This is my mother, Helen, my older sister, Margret, and my niece-"

"Victoria!" Victoria cut Alice off.

Mirana looked down at Victoria, who only stood around two feet tall. "Why, hello, petal," Mirana said. She looked at Helen and Margret. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet Alice's family." Helen and Margret bowed deeply.

Mirana looked at Alice in confusion. "What are they doing?" Mirana asked.

"In England, if you see royalty, you have to bow to them," Alice answered.

"What strange customs you have there."

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><p>Once Mirana had assured Alice's mother and sister that it wasn't necessary to continually bow to her or "only speak when spoken to" as they put it, Mirana asked them how they liked Underland so far.<p>

"Oh… It's… Nice?" Helen said hesitantly.

Mirana, Alice, and Tarrant smiled. "Well, I understand that everything is very different Topside," Mirana said kindly.

"Topside?" Margret asked.

"This is Under and London is Over. We call it Topside or Above here," Alice answered.

"So how long will you be staying?"

"We won't be a burden on you. We will take out leave at the end of the day," Margret said.

"Oh, you couldn't be a burden! Any family of Alice's is welcome to stay here any time!" Mirana exclaimed.

While Mirana was trying to persuade Helen and Margret to stay longer, Alice and Tarrant had slipped off into the grand library of the palace to sit down (being over eight months pregnant, it wasn't easy for Alice to stay on her feet for long) and talk about baby names. Tarrant was worried that the baby would come early and they wouldn't have a name picked out.

"Alright. Boy names," Alice said.

"William? Thomas? How about James?"

"No, too plain."

"But those are all the Above names I know," Tarrant pouted.

"I don't really want to name our baby something from Above. All the names are too plain. I want it to be something sweet and original. Like your name."

Tarrant smiled. Alice even loved his name! He never got over how lucky he was that she loved any part of him. "Then how about Warren or Terric? I've always liked those names."

"I like Terric. It's a little close to your name, but I like it."

"How about the name for a girl? There's Aerodie or Kayleigh."

"There is one girl name that I came upon in an old book I was reading Topside. It's Rhiannon."

"That's perfect! But it is a little bit of a mouthful."

"Then we can call her Rhiae for short. I thought the middle names could be after your family," Alice suggested.

Tarrant looked down, then at Alice. "Then we will have a Rhiae Iris Hightopp or a Terric Aaron Hightopp. After my parents."

Alice smiled.

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><p><strong>Okay, I'll try to get the next chapter out in a week or so (hopefully...). I think I know what gender the baby is going to be, if you could review telling me what you want, I'll take it into consideration. Also, just to say it, Rhiannon is pronounced Rhe-ah-nun, Rhiae is Rhe-hay, Terric is Terr-ick, and Iris and Aaron are like the actual names.<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! I actually managed to update within a reasonable amount of time!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AIW. I wouldn't be on FanFiction if I did!**

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><p>Alice and Tarrant walked into the large dining room, where everyone was happily eating dinner. Well, everyone except for Margret and Helen, who were just poking their food, trying not to look disgusted.<p>

"Margret, Mother, please try it. I know it looks different, but it's good! Try it!" Alice urged.

Helen and Margret looked up, startled. "Alice, don't be silly. The food is wonderful, Your Majesty," Helen said.

"It is alright, I know you have not eaten. If you do decide to try some, please thank my staff, not me," Mirana responded.

Helen blushed. Tarrant helped Alice gently sit down (she felt so useless, she couldn't even sit on her own!) and then took the seat beside her.

"So… where were you?" Margret said suddenly, trying to change the subject.

"In the library, picking baby names," Tarrant said.

"You haven't picked one out yet?" Helen sounded surprised.

"We couldn't decide on one."

"And what did you pick? I know that I've always adored the name Katherine for a girl," Margret said. Victoria frowned.

"What about me, Mommy?"

"Don't speak unless spoken to, child. Especially at the dinner table," Margret scolded. She turned to the Queen. "You have to ingrain these rules early on, or she won't obey later."

Now it was the Queen's turn to frown slightly. "Is that what it is like Topside, Alice?"

"I'm afraid so," Alice said. "That's one of the reasons I love Under so much."

Mirana turned back to Victoria. "Well, Button, when you are here, you may speak whenever you like."

Margret looked down. "Anyway, Alice, what names did you pick? Oh! What about Thomas for a boy?"

"We decided to name him or her an Underland name, with a middle name after my family," Tarrant told her.

"Oh," Helen said. She was disappointed, she didn't like any of the names she had encountered so far.

"Rhiae Iris for a girl or Terric Aaron for a boy."

"Oh, Tarrant, Alice, those are beautiful names!" Mirana gushed.

"We really should be getting back," Margret said sadly.

"But Mommy-" Victoria pouted.

"No 'buts' Victoria," Margret cut her off.

Margret took Victoria in her arms and said thank you to the Queen and walked out of the room. Helen followed.

"I… I'll show them to the room of mirrors. Would you like to come?" Mirana said.

"Yes," Alice responded. Tarrant helped her to her feet; put an arm around her waist, then walked after Mirana.

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><p>They found Alice's family following a fish butler to the room of mirrors.<p>

"Margret!" Alice shouted.

Margret turned. "Yes, Alice?" she said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

Margret sighed. "I guess that I'm a bit jealous that you have such a great life here. I mean, I am happy for you, but I don't have a life like you. I think that it's obvious that Lowell doesn't love me as much as Tarrant loves you. You're about to have a baby, you have a wonderful home and friends. I don't."

"Margret! You have a wonderful life! You have Mother and Victoria, whenever you want! You have no idea how much I want to see you, every day! I don't have a perfect life, Margret. No one does."

"Oh, you don't? Well I think you do! You have Tarrant. You have your baby. You have a warm and cozy home. You have many friends. You have freedom. I-"

Alice was listening to Margret's rant with interest. Margret was right; she did have many things that Margret did not. But Margret also had Mother and Victoria; people she wanted to spend every moment of her life with no matter what.

A strange sensation interrupted Alice's thoughts. Alice's eyes went wide. "Margret," she whispered. She didn't stop talking. "Margret!" Alice said louder.

"What?" Margret cried, looking at Alice. She knew exactly what was going on when she saw the look of fear and joy on Alice's face.

Tarrant was looking at Alice in confusion. What was happening? "Alice?" he asked.

She put her small hand on the top of her belly as an answer. Tarrant understood. He swept Alice up in his arms, and started running down the hall, after the Queen who had walked away a few minutes ago to give the family some privacy.

"Mirana!"

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><p>Alice was quickly brought to an empty room and placed on the bed, Helen, Margret, Tarrant, and Mirana crowded around her. Victoria was on Margret's hip, looking at Alice with curiosity.<p>

"Auntie Alice, why are you in bed? It's not bedtime yet."

"I'm going to get my baby soon."

Victoria looked at her with wide eyes. "Really? Can I see it?"

"As soon as it gets here."

"When will it get here?"

"I don't know. But I think it's time for tea. Why don't you go get some tea, go to sleep, then when you wake up the baby will be here?"

"Okay."

Margret carried Victoria out of the room, mouthing "I'll be back later" to Alice.

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><p>A few hours later, Alice still hadn't had the baby. It was around midnight now, and Alice was uncomfortable sitting in bed. She carefully scooted to the edge and got on her feet, careful not to wake Tarrant, who was sleeping in the corner on a chair. He had been bothering her for hours. He wouldn't let her get on her feet, at all! When she had said she needed fresh air, he had carried her over to the window. When she wanted water, he sent a passing maid to get some. When she asked to sit outside, he had placed her in a chair on the balcony of the room!<p>

It was ridiculous.

Despite Alice's efforts to be quiet as she walked around the room, Tarrant woke up.

"Alice! What are you doing on your feet? You should be in bed, Cricket."

Alice had had enough. "Tarrant. If I bloody want to bloody pace the bloody room, I bloody will! Leave me bloody alone!"

Alice didn't know many swears.

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><p><strong>I leave off here because I still don't know if the baby is going to be a boy or girl, so please review with your preference!<strong>

**~SquirmberryJuice**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh. My. Stuff. I am so sorry… Honestly, I have nothing to say for myself… my muse has completely left me and just flown away, never to be seen again… so I have the worst case of for all of my faithful readers!**

**I've been gone for MONTHS now, so you might want to refresh your memory and skim the last chapter or I think you'll be kind of lost…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AIW!**

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><p>It was around four in the morning when the baby came. When it was finally over, Alice was exhausted. Tarrant climbed into the bed with her and she fell asleep with her head resting on his shoulder, the baby in Tarrant's arms.<p>

_Terric Aaron Hightopp_, Tarrant thought, his eyes turning a lovely lavender with adoration and love at the thought. "A beautiful baby boy," the doctor had said. And it was true. Terric looked just like Alice, in his opinion. Alice disagreed, saying that Terric had "his father's strong chin and cheekbones". The only strong resemblance that Tarrant could see was Terric's eyes. They were a light green. They also changed color, as Tarrant's eyes did. As soon as Tarrant held his son for the first time, Terric's eyes turned light blue with curiosity.

Tarrant slowly drifted to sleep, Terric still in his arms.

* * *

><p>Alice and Tarrant were woken up by a frantic Margret. "Margret! <em>Margret<em>! Please, calm down and tell me what's wrong!" Alice told Margret.

"Vi-Victoria's _gone_! She's just _disappeared_! She was s-sleeping in the room next to mine, and mother's room was across the hall, b-but we didn't hear _anything_! W-when I went to get her to see the baby in the morning, about an hour ago, s-she wasn't _there_! I asked the servants if they'd s-seen her b-but they didn't so I asked the Queen but she didn't see her either and she'sjustgoneandIdon'tknowwheresheisand-"

Margret collapsed into sobs. "Margret. We'll find her," Alice said softly. After all, she couldn't have gone out of the castle without the guards noticing.

Alice got out of the bed and took the still sleeping Terric from Tarrant's arms. Tarrant then got up, put his arm around Alice's waist, and said to Margret, "We'll just go ask Mirana. She can figure it out."

They walked to Mirana's office and knocked on the door. "Come in," they heard from behind the doors.

They entered and told Mirana about the situation. Mirana's face flashed with worry for just a second before she masked it.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" Helen asked.

"I believe that I should go to her room and see if I am able to find anything," Mirana replied in her airy voice.

* * *

><p>They were in the hall, standing outside of Victoria's bedroom. The Queen gently touched the frame of the open door, inhaling. Her eyes went wide with worry, again, for only a second before the emotion was masked.<p>

"Alice, Tarrant, will you follow me? I must speak with you. Margret, Helen, please stay here, I will return soon," the Queen said, no emotion on her face or in her voice.

Alice and Tarrant followed Mirana into Victoria's bedroom. Nothing had been moved since Victoria disappeared. Mirana looked at the unmade bed, at the carpeted floor, and at the nightstand that was settled next to the bed.

"Yes, yes. This is what I feared," Mirana whispered.

"What is it, Mirana?" Tarrant asked.

"Victoria wouldn't have left on her own. She has no reason to. Plus, if she has, the servants or guards would most certainly have seen her. The blankets on the bed are all in place, meaning she got out of bed herself. The nightstand is unmoved, and the carpet is clean of signs of struggle. This eliminates a kidnapping of any kind. This only leaves one option. Magic."

"Mirana, that's impossible. You can sense any spells being cast in the castle," Alice objected. Terric, who was still in Alice's arms, yawned and sniffled. Alice gently quieted him.

"There doesn't always have to be a spell. Some creatures have magic in them, without any incantations, like me," said a voice behind them. They turned to find the Cheshire Cat floating near the window.

"What do you mean, Chess?" Alice asked.

"I see you have given birth to your little one. What is it? Does it have a name yet?" Chess asked, floating over to the baby nestled in Alice's arms.

Tarrant looked at the cat floating over his son. "Terric Aaron Hightopp. A boy. Now what do you think took Victoria?"

"Victoria? Alice, why have I never met this girl or the family outside in the hall?" Chess asked, annoyed.

"I'll introduce you when you answer the questions!" Alice snapped.

"I suppose. I believe that she was lured away by will-o'-the-wisps. Little lantern-like creatures who lure curious travelers from safe paths. I don't know what they were doing all the way out of the Wood, but it really is the only possibility."

Alice paled. "The Tulgy Wood?" It was one of the most dangerous places in Underland, if you knew what you were doing. If you didn't, you were practically dead the second you step past the first trees.

"I'm afraid so," Chess responded.

Alice, Tarrant, Mirana, and Chess walked out of the room (well, Chess floated). "Alice? Do you know where Victoria went?"

"I… Well…" Alice started.

"Yes. She was lured into the Tulgy Wood by will-o'-the-wisps," Chess interrupted.

"_What?_" Margret breathed.

Chess cleared his throat at Alice, expecting an introduction. "Fine. Chess, this is my mother, Helen, and my older sister, Margret. Her two year old daughter, my niece, is Victoria. Mother, Margret, this is the Cheshire Cat." The corners of Chess's mouth went up to his ears in a smile.

Margret and Helen cringed at the smile. _I suppose it _is_ a bit creepy_, Alice thought.

"Come. There is no time to waste. We must find the girl in the Wood," Mirana said.

"Margret, Mother, you must stay here. Take care of Terric while I'm gone," Alice said.

"What? No. I'm going with you to search for her," Margret protested.

"I'm not saying this because I don't want you to come, but truthfully, you do not know the Wood, you would slow us down. It's for the best," Alice explained.

"I am afraid I must agree with Alice. Even I am not going. I must take care of my kingdom first, and I do not live in a clearing in the Wood itself, as Tarrant and Alice do. Chessur will go with them, seeing he can sense the magic of the wisps," Mirana said gently.

"When was it agreed that I was going?" Chessur said sarcastically.

Alice turned to the cat angrily. "Well than I suppose you wouldn't mind all of Underland knowing that you use a-" the cat clamped his paw over Alice mouth.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I think I would."

"Fine. I'll go with you to find the girl."

Chessur started floating down the hall, Alice and Tarrant following a few feet behind. "You don't know a thing about the cat, do you?" Tarrant whispered.

"No, but it worked."

"Well, my love. It worked _very_ well."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. That was a long chapter, about 100 words more than usual. Cool. I'm challenging myself to update within a week or two. I <strong>_**really**_** want to. So I'll try.**

**Remember to R&R! It's all the more motivation for me to update faster!**

**~SquirmberryJuice **


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